5 UFC fighters who could be released in 2022

#4. Edson Barboza – UFC featherweight

Edson Barboza has been responsible for some classic UFC moments, but his time on the roster may be coming to an end

On the face of it, it seems crazy to think that the UFC would consider releasing Edson Barboza. After all, the Brazilian is arguably one of the most exciting fighters to emerge in the promotion over the last decade and he’s been responsible for a number of genuinely iconic finishes.

However, look a little deeper and the Brazilian is exactly the type of fighter that might see his spot on the UFC’s roster in danger during 2022.

Firstly, the fact that he’s been responsible for so many memorable moments stands as a marker of how long he’s been with the UFC. He's been a part of the promotion for well over a decade, having debuted with the promotion in November 2010. Not only does that mean that he’s now one of the more highly paid fighters on the roster, but it also means that he’s getting past his best at this point.

Secondly, while he’s still capable of beating tough fighters, as his wins over Shane Burgos and Makwan Amirkhani showed, he’s also 2-4 in his last six bouts and was badly knocked out by Giga Chikadze in his last octagon appearance.

Could Barboza turn things around in 2022? It is possible, but given that his high profile means that the UFC are likely to match him with a tricky foe, there’s probably a higher chance that he'll come away from his next bout with another loss.

If that’s the case, the UFC may decide that, at 35 years old, Barboza is simply too expensive to be taking up a spot on the roster and let him go.

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#3. Kelvin Gastelum – UFC middleweight

Kelvin Gastelum has simply not reached his potential in the UFC

A handful of years ago, it looked like Kelvin Gastelum was probably a surefire bet to hold UFC gold at some point during his career. The winner of TUF 17 defeated the likes of Vitor Belfort, Ronaldo Souza and Michael Bisping. He then narrowly lost in his first attempt to claim a title, coming up short against Israel Adesanya in an interim UFC middleweight title bout.

However, since then, he’s struggled greatly, to the point that the native of Arizona may well find himself on the chopping block at some point in 2022. Essentially, you can probably separate Gastelum’s UFC tenure into two parts, before and after his fight with Adesanya.

The bout was an instant classic, but since then, he’s put together a record of 1-4, with his lone win coming against Ian Heinisch back in February.

Gastelum has only been finished in one of those losses, but despite giving Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier tricky fights, he now seems miles away from the UFC middleweight title shot he once craved.

At the age of 30, Gastelum may be able to rejuvenate his UFC career with a big win or two, but his status as a veteran headliner means that it’s unlikely the promotion will give him a softball opponent any time soon.

Given that his base pay is estimated at around $150k, it wouldn’t be a surprise for the UFC to simply decide he’s too expensive to be kept around as a gatekeeper, meaning he could be handed his pink slip if he loses his first bout of 2022.